If I didn't have my nintendo club account linked when I bought Paper Mario, do I still get DK?
Not automatically, but you can contact Nintendo and have them give you credit for it and probably send the DK code as well.
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Paper Mario: Sticker Star |OT| Delicious Flat Characters
- Thread starter Chet Rippo
- Start date
Not automatically, but you can contact Nintendo and have them give you credit for it and probably send the DK code as well.
Nose Master
Member
On the money. Got an email back like ten hours later about it. Thanks!
Kinda surprised at how small this thread is compared to others like Persona 4 Golden, especially since the game's been out longer. I hope that isn't a sign that it disappointed. This is one of the game's I was looking forward to most when I get a 3DS, even though I doubt it will match TTYD in excellence.
I beat this game 100% at 37 something hours and it was great. The sticker mechanics worked, however there were almost too many stickers handed out to you. I barely ever needed to buy anything and wound up with max coins by the 4th world. (Of course I did fight every enemy I saw on the field...) Battles were fast paced and interesting when being deliberate with your stickers. It was all so elegantly simple.
I just wish Miyamoto let Intelligent Systems create some original, witty, characters for this game, they're so good at it. Why he put that restriction, I don't know.
Anyone sitting on the fence should definitely get this game though, it's got all the charm of Paper Mario with some new twists along the way.
I just wish Miyamoto let Intelligent Systems create some original, witty, characters for this game, they're so good at it. Why he put that restriction, I don't know.
Anyone sitting on the fence should definitely get this game though, it's got all the charm of Paper Mario with some new twists along the way.
Chet Rippo
Member
I should get further in this game already.
Doesn't even come close to 64 or TTYD. This game is very disappointing, Persona 4 is leagues better. I'm having problems staying motivated to keep playing, it is very shallow in pretty much every aspect but visuals.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Well it helps when there's a long drought for the Vita that something good actually came out. That and Persona 4 is a much meatier game. The threads mostly positive though.
I blame Super Paper Mario for going too far with the character designs, which is why we were restricted to Mario World characters. Although to be honest, there really shouldn't be a need to make new characters persay for interesting stuff, but I guess it shows that already established things haven't been interesting to the fanbase.
Why they didn't actually give some character to the established entities though, is entirely on IntSys.
I respectfully disagree. This would only be a disappointment if you wanted a "true" sequel to TTYD and nothing else. Taken purely on its own merits, this is fantastic gem of a game, and a delightfully unique breath of fresh air.
There is nothing shallow about it. Conceptually and mechanically, it is deeper than any Paper Mario game to precede it -- unless you consider it in only the shallowest of terms.
The combat boils down to 'use whatever sticker you feel like because they all do approximately the same damage, unless it is a boss than use the big shiny sticker'. There is practically zero reason to ever engage in optional combat because you roll around in currency. Content outside of combat is linear and simple, while there are some levels off the main track the game practically pushes you into them.
It has visual charm, I agree 100% with that. But all the characters extremely flat
tehe
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Currency being generated because you take part in the optional fights as you put it.
Incitemaybe
Member
This final battle is very difficult for me, and when you die, you have to go all the way back...ouch
Yeah, no, that's completely untrue.
Like I said, you might think it's shallow if you only consider it in shallow terms.
It's not a game for everyone, I will concede that. It's not necessarily a game for Paper Mario fans either. But it's a great game.
That's not really true. AC3:L had some decent activity (more than in here anyway). VLR too, where it seemed most were going with the Vita version, especially after the 3DS's issues were unveiled. Even ignoring Vita threads, the activity seems lacking compared to other 3DS threads like Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus, and even freaking NSMB2.
Anyway, after reading a couple of pages, it sounds like it doesn't stack up to TTYD but is still a good game in the end. I'll keep it on my list. Surely can't be as disappointing as Super Paper Mario was.
I wouldn't even think of it that way. If you keep trying to compare it to TTYD, you'll probably just end up disappointed to a degree. It plays totally differently, despite retaining the turn-based battles.
I think Super Paper Mario had several conceptual design flaws which were quickly apparent. Sticker Star, on the other hand, is a cohesive, well-designed package (there are a couple issues, mostly due to poor conveyance, but that won't be a problem if you're thorough or don't mind going online for help). However, the end result is a very different one from TTYD, that's for sure.
I haven't gotten too much further then you so maybe there is another spot, but
you can get it very cheap at the store in level 1-5
I believe the shop in 1-5 have those.
quick edit: haha, beaten, and with no spoiler tag... Didn't even consider that a spoiler.
GhostTrick
Banned
Mr. Wonderful
Member
Sorry GAF. Almost done with World 2, and I think I can form the opinion at this point in time that I don't like this game.
I get what everyone is saying is great about it, but I'm not having fun (also, I'm not nearly as crazy about the music as everyone else is).
I get what everyone is saying is great about it, but I'm not having fun (also, I'm not nearly as crazy about the music as everyone else is).
No need to apologize; this game has some design elements that definitely won't appeal to everyone. It seems like every hour or so there's an obstacle that requires some gadget from a few levels ago, and it's rarely spelled out for you. You might find that charmingly old fashioned, or you might find it obtuse and frustrating.
I think I'm around halfway through the game now, and it's pretty clear that this game does fall short of TYD for me. It's still pretty great, though... definitely better than Super Paper Mario.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Kid Icarus, to be fair, has multiplayer which actually gives it that lastability. NSMB2 is probably a bitchfest on its lack of freshness, with 3D Land kinda being that surprise hit/first truly worthwhile 3DS game that isn't really a port.... Well that and there were two threads for NSMB2. NSMB2 and SM3DL also has benefits of being better sellers than Paper Mario as well, so it's not surprising to see more people in those threads than in here.
Anyway I also noted that Persona 4 is an extremely meaty game, so there's plenty to go on about, whereas this thread has probably used up all the usefulness it has since we have a help guide posted By yours truly. I'm not too sure on what to bring out more discussion since the thread mostly consists of people that gave Sticker Star a chance.
Three hours in - one level into world 2. Time for some thoughts.
Basically, its a *much* simpler Paper Mario.
-Attacks are all much simpler. Ignoring the presence of the stickers,a ll of the attacks (so far) have been much simpler and easier to pull of successfully than in past Mario RPGs (I'm comparing this to Mario & Luigi since I barely remember TTYD)
-Dodging attacks is also much simpler - all you can do is block. Am I mis-remembering? I felt like you could do more in past games. Like say, jump.
-Stickers are alright but they make battling kind of pointless sometimes. If you enter a level with your album full, and with plenty of coins, you literally have zero reason to battle.
-Game is not as funny as the past handheld Mario RPGs.
-Story is trash. Nintendo loves injecting their gameplay gimmick into the story. They do it all the time. It worked in Widn Waker. Here, its just stupid.
-Helper character sucks. I miss the side kicks.
-I miss leveling up since it would give me a reason to fight, BUT at least this way you never get stuck and end up having to grind for a higher level. Thats a big positive.
-3D effect is not as strong as I would like it to be
-Graphics are great
-Music is neither good nor bad. Just there. I have it on mute at this point.
-If I hit a "?" block, the sticker should be added to my inventory instantly. I should not have to wait for it to float down.
-Levels have been pretty good. Not nearly as jaw-droppingly good as TTYD, but that's alright. The level based system is smart since this is a handheld game.
That about sums it up. I may seem negative but I am actually enjoying the game a great deal. I wish it was more traditional, but for what it is, it is still quite fun.
Basically, its a *much* simpler Paper Mario.
-Attacks are all much simpler. Ignoring the presence of the stickers,a ll of the attacks (so far) have been much simpler and easier to pull of successfully than in past Mario RPGs (I'm comparing this to Mario & Luigi since I barely remember TTYD)
-Dodging attacks is also much simpler - all you can do is block. Am I mis-remembering? I felt like you could do more in past games. Like say, jump.
-Stickers are alright but they make battling kind of pointless sometimes. If you enter a level with your album full, and with plenty of coins, you literally have zero reason to battle.
-Game is not as funny as the past handheld Mario RPGs.
-Story is trash. Nintendo loves injecting their gameplay gimmick into the story. They do it all the time. It worked in Widn Waker. Here, its just stupid.
-Helper character sucks. I miss the side kicks.
-I miss leveling up since it would give me a reason to fight, BUT at least this way you never get stuck and end up having to grind for a higher level. Thats a big positive.
-3D effect is not as strong as I would like it to be
-Graphics are great
-Music is neither good nor bad. Just there. I have it on mute at this point.
-If I hit a "?" block, the sticker should be added to my inventory instantly. I should not have to wait for it to float down.
-Levels have been pretty good. Not nearly as jaw-droppingly good as TTYD, but that's alright. The level based system is smart since this is a handheld game.
That about sums it up. I may seem negative but I am actually enjoying the game a great deal. I wish it was more traditional, but for what it is, it is still quite fun.
Green Mamba
Member
I am playing this after all. Just got the second Royal Sticker. Please tell me the future bosses are better than the first two in both aesthetics and gameplay design, because they are just incredibly lame in both senses. I'll hold off on other feedback until I beat the game, but seriously, the two main bosses so far have been terrible in pretty much every facet except music.
Not sure how much I would trust Nintendo with a digital download of a full retail game.
Also, if you are Canadian, Amazon.ca is selling the game for 10 bucks off this weekend.
Really? Do you? >_>
KirbYuuYuu
Member
That sounds a bit like a hardware issue...
You know. It is OK to not get into battles when it doesn't benefit you to do so. If you're max stickers and have oddles of coins then you should probably stay out of the next few battles no? You'll be moving back and forth through these levels a lot. Killing everything in your way will get old super fast.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
And to be honest, the same pretty much applies when there's EXP. Sometimes it's not worth fighting because it'll just feel tedious.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Mr. Wonderful
Member
This is a problem that I have with the game in general. I've gotten used to it some, but the game includes a lot of paper animation effects that end up slowing things down. Like the enemies folding into different shapes in battles, or, not a paper example, like when you do a pre-emptive attack, and you have to wait as additional enemies jump in. Some of these are smaller, with a large cumulative effect, but others are time-consuming in themselves.
gamergirly
Member
Oh boy. Think I'm stuck on the last level of world 2 with
that big sticker you need to replace
KirbYuuYuu
Member
IIRC it becomes a much lesser issue afterwards.
Dead Prince
Banned
i'm on world 3 now 6 hours in. loving it so far (minus the so so battle system)
CoconutTank
Member
Just got the 3rd royal sticker.
I don't think sticker star is much simpler than the previous iterations, it certainly seems more challenging to me at least. Having to spam the spinner in order to keep up with damage output from multiple enemies or bosses can be problematic at times; I've stocked up around 6k coins just in case I need to use the spinner a lot. And not figuring out the specific thing sticker needed to beat a boss can make fighting it really hard, which I somewhat dislike as well.
The music is great so far though, and the challenge is just right for me so far (except for bosses, which can be stupidly hard). Im still having fun, so im still going to play through to the end.
I don't think sticker star is much simpler than the previous iterations, it certainly seems more challenging to me at least. Having to spam the spinner in order to keep up with damage output from multiple enemies or bosses can be problematic at times; I've stocked up around 6k coins just in case I need to use the spinner a lot. And not figuring out the specific thing sticker needed to beat a boss can make fighting it really hard, which I somewhat dislike as well.
The music is great so far though, and the challenge is just right for me so far (except for bosses, which can be stupidly hard). Im still having fun, so im still going to play through to the end.
I agree, 95% of battles feel like I am just going through the motions. Maybe it would help to have XP or equipment, or even unlockable concept art, really anything to help battles contribute in a permanent way. Only the boss/mini-boss battles have me excited.
That being said, the puzzles have generally been pretty good/tricky. I had to use GameFAQs for
the wind turbines
Maybe you both made your arguments earlier in the thread, but when someone points to specific reasons why they think the combat is shallow, it would be a lot more convincing to explain why you think it has a deep system, rather than just saying "NOPE NOT SHALLOW AT ALL". At least that's how I feel.
What other answer is there to the idea that all of the stickers do they same damage? It's just... factually untrue. They do different amounts of damage different ways. There's no way to interpret it otherwise.
Just found this post as well. I am glad to see you show respect for the opposing viewpoint. I have never played TTYD and I am somewhat disappointed with Sticker Stars. Full disclosure, I am only on world 2-2, maybe it opens up later on. However, I am left wondering again why you feel "there is nothing shallow about it." I'm not even sure what you mean by "consider it only in the shallowest of terms" except that it sounds like you are trying to verbally bully opposing view points ("Anyone who thinks this is stupid is stupid" without justification).
When I say "shallow" I mean: What decisions does the game allow me to make? What impact do those decisions have on the story, the character, and me as a player? Let's say you played a game with 100 doors, each of which opens to the same brick room. That game has a lot of decisions (100 doors to open) but has no impact on the player. Sometimes games can have the illusion that those 100 doors are all different rooms, that might be considered depth because the player's imagination allows them to delve deeper -- "I wonder what those other 99 rooms were like!" -- until they replay or check internet and realize all rooms were the same.
Here are the choices I feel I am faced with when I fight most battles (against "common" enemies) in PM:SS (currently I am mid World 2)
1. Okay there are basically two or three enemies. Do I want to use "single-enemy" attack items or "multiple-enemy" attack? Or use spinner?
2a. If single-enemy, make sure they are not spiky (if using foot) or flying (if using hammer).
2b. If multiple-enemy, can I kill them all in one hit to get perfect bonus?
3. Okay make sure I am using a decent quality sticker for how healthy enemies are. Use weakest sticker possible that will kill all enemies.
4. Be careful with timing button presses. (Arguably less of a choice and more of a mechanic.)
5. Okay their turn to attack. Be careful with timing button presses.
Outside of "perfect bonus", most battles last 2-3 turns. If I choose suboptimally, I am penalized by maybe one extra turn and 2-3 more damage. While I do die from time to time, it is almost always because I try to play without mushroom stickers to increase difficulty or against bosses. I can't imagine loading up on 5 mushroom stickers and still dying in combat. This lack of difficulty is not, in itself, shallow. Against common foes, I usually don't use spinner because I feel it takes more (real-world) time than it's worth against weak foes.
After battle, what battle-related decisions are you faced with? I don't have equipment or level, so little to none.
Before battle, what battle-related decisions are you faced with? Deciding whether or not to fight next monster group.
What impact does 95% of battles have on the story? None.
What impact does battle have on the character? Most battles -- little to none. Perfect bonus adds a few coins, nothing to write home about. Maybe suboptimal sticker selection makes bosses harder, but you have to select pretty poorly or fail to buy stickers to make this aspect really challenging.
What impact does battle have on the player? For me, very little.
Just to be clear, the original quote was:
It is never stated they do the same damage, but rather approximately the same. The first assertion is indeed "factually untrue". However, you are misrepresenting the argument and attempting to use facts, when the original statement is completely subjective (rather than objective).
One objective, quantitative question would be: "What is the variance of damage across stickers?" However, that's not quite the right question, in my opinion.
You could ask: "What is the variance of damage across stickers of roughly the same quality (Worn-out, Normal, Shiny)?"
I think the most accurate question is: "If I played stickers randomly or nearly so, how many turns would the average battle last? If I played stickers optimally, how many turns would the average battle last?"
This gets at the sense of how much strategy does the combat hold? I think if I played Chess and moved random pieces to random spots, I would die rather quickly against even a novice chess player. If I do the same with Final Fantasy Tactics (random characters making random attacks) I imagine the computer will eventually kill me, unless I am lucky or over-leveled.
In PM:SS, with proper button timing (again, arguing that's not really a "choice"), I think playing randomly would extend battles a few turns. Unless you purposefully fill up album with worn-out / underleveled stickers. With just a LITTLE bit of optimization (don't use multi-enemy stickers with only one enemy left, don't waste shinies on regular enemies, don't heal at full health), I think you get most of the gains and battles would last under 4 turns.
That is what I interpret Alchemy's original post to mean. The strategy of sticker selection is minimal with regard to impact on final outcome (mostly just how long do you want battles to last). With this interpretation, do you agree or disagree with Alchemy's point?
I can't help but feel like you're maybe giving the "depth" of previous Paper Mario games too much credit here. Your breakdown of individual battles in Sticker Star is nice, but do you really believe that the battles in, say, Thousand Year Door were really any more complex, or rewarding? We could take this and apply it there, too. How many enemies are there? Are they flying (jump), spiked (hammer), or both (hammer throw/spike shield, or star power)? Do I have a partner with an attack that easily exploit these enemies' weaknesses? If so, use it. Done. Factor in not just the normal battle stickers that you find all over the place, but the various classes of Thing stickers and their various properties, and Sticker Star gives you possibly more options within combat and combat-preparation than any other game in the series.
There's been no "equipment" in any of the other Paper Mario games, why is that a problem now? As for levels, what have levels ever gotten you? More hearts (which you now find through careful exploration of the world, which itself is a core focus of this game), or more flower or badge points, which have all been rendered moot by the way sticker progression is handled. Strengthening of your basic attacks were determined by finding better boots or hammers in the other games, all based on story progression. I didn't realize it at first either, but I think the reason this game has no levels or experience points is because everything those levels would have possibly affected are already covered by the stickers themselves. You find stronger stickers and things as you progress, just as you'd find new equipment and badges in the previous games.
Paper Mario has never been a really stat-heavy series, nor is it meant to be. I just find it funny that, for all the time people spend griping about random battles and the tedium of grinding in most JRPGs, here comes a game that has developed an intriguing way to effectively remove needless grind, and people complain about that now instead saying the battles are meaningless. The combat is meant to be fun in and of itself, and make you think about what you have at your disposal in every fight, because your arsenal is constantly changing. If you don't enjoy fighting in a JRPG unless there's some arbitrary number rising afterward, then maybe JRPGs aren't the genre you should be looking into.
Green Mamba
Member
No, I would argue that the first two Paper Marios were heavily equipment based--the badges were your equipment. The entire battle system revolved around meticulous planning of your badge loadout. It's pretty much the exact opposite of Sticker Star which feels more like a card game--you play with the hand that you are dealt; you can purchase stickers, but their consumability means that most of your fighting is done with the stickers you find in the levels.
And I am seriously confused by constant references to "grinding" when it comes to the first two Paper Marios--when was the last time you had to actually grind in those games?
And there is an arbitrary number rising after every Sticker Star battle--the game does reward you for fighting, so I don't know what you're getting at. Whether it rewards you enough or not seems to be the argument. And I see nothing flawed with the reasoning that having fun and being justly rewarded for it is better than having fun and being poorly rewarded for it.
An aside on a bit of feedback I have for this game--realizing that there was no end of level coin bonus at the end of boss stages was a serious gut punch. The bosses really are the worst single aspect of this game that I have encountered so far.
And I am seriously confused by constant references to "grinding" when it comes to the first two Paper Marios--when was the last time you had to actually grind in those games?
And there is an arbitrary number rising after every Sticker Star battle--the game does reward you for fighting, so I don't know what you're getting at. Whether it rewards you enough or not seems to be the argument. And I see nothing flawed with the reasoning that having fun and being justly rewarded for it is better than having fun and being poorly rewarded for it.
An aside on a bit of feedback I have for this game--realizing that there was no end of level coin bonus at the end of boss stages was a serious gut punch. The bosses really are the worst single aspect of this game that I have encountered so far.